Estate Planning for Stepchildren

October 25, 2018by Raleigh Lawyer

In most cases, parents love their stepchildren just as they would their own biological child. They want to protect them, love them, and help them in any way they can. Today, our estate planning attorney in Raleigh NC is here to help you understand how you can take care of your stepchildren once you’ve passed on.

Often, there is confusion surrounding the inheritance rights of stepchildren. Whether you plan to include your stepchildren in your will or not, it’s important to take a look at your options for estate planning.

If you haven’t adopted your stepchild, they may have no legal right to an inheritance unless you specifically state in your estate plan what you’d like to leave them with. Contact our estate planning in attorney in Raleigh NC to discuss this more.

In some situations, stepparents without a will or an estate plan may assume that their stepchild has a right to an inheritance. However, this isn’t the case.

Stepparents who would like to leave their stepchildren an inheritance should include them in their will. In other words, stepchildren should be specifically named in the estate plan in order to ensure they are included as a beneficiary.

This can be a confusing and overwhelming subject to understand on your own. If you’d like to discuss it with our attorney, please contact our law firm. We can sit down and talk with you about your options for leaving an inheritance for stepchildren so that your wishes are documented and valid in a will or trust. We can help you make changes and updates to your estate plan as well.

You can work with an estate planning attorney in Raleigh NC to plan and to have someone appointed to take care of your estate when the time comes. This can ensure that you are protected and that your wishes will be carried out even when you are no longer able to express them. If you’re ready to start planning today, contact our estate planning attorney in Raleigh NC. We are here to help you.

Have you already created an estate plan? If haven’t reviewed yours in several years, now might be the best time to get started. Our estate planning attorney is here to help you get your estate planning in order and ready should you pass in an untimely manner or become incapacitated at some point. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to an estate plan. Contact our office.